Between 1741 and 1760, mothers left small, everyday objects along with their child in the hope that should they find themselves in better circumstances and be able to return for their son or daughter, they would be able to identify the right one.

A new exhibition at the museum, entitled Fate, Hope & Charity, displays many of these moving tokens, and tells many of their stories.

The tokens include coins, jewellery, buttons, poems, playing cards and a simple nut, and these tokens are presented in the context of the foundling with whom they belong to.

Visitors will learn untold stories of the grief of separation and the timeless bond between mother and child, with the heart-wrenching tales offering a unique insight into life in the 18th century.

Michael Edwards

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